Whitsunday Regional Council awards Airlie Beach Lagoon, Proserpine Swimming Pool contracts

Changes are coming to Whitsunday’s public pools including the Airlie Beach Lagoon after the council delivered its verdict on what’s best for local swimmers.

New Whitsunday pool managers will be subject to ongoing reviews to ensure they are providing a quality service, says Whitsunday Regional Council.

The council awarded New South Wales-based company Lifeguarding Services Australia $3.6 million in contracts for lifeguarding and water maintenance at Airlie Beach Lagoon and management of Proserpine Swimming Pool for the next four years, accepting it had provided enough evidence it could uphold community interests while keeping costs down.

The decision comes after the Whitsunday Swimming Club urged the council to take another look at tender submissions from local contractors before endorsing an interstate applicant’s proposition.

The contracts include management of Proserpine’s Water Park. Photo: Tourism Whitsundays

At their October 13 meeting at Collinsville, councillors acknowledged the potential for conflicts between local swimming clubs and “cookie-cutter franchisee” management, but said they were satisfied the contracts provided the means to address any issues as and when they arose.

“With big companies, I’ve seen it in the past and it sometimes ends in tears”, Mayor Andrew Willcox, a former swimming club president, said.

“If it looks like it’s going to go that way, let’s make sure we’ve got some way to fix it.”

Community Services Director Julie Wright confirmed the contracts also stipulated that lifeguards currently employed at the lagoon would be offered positions under the new arrangement, “depending on their qualifications and experience”.

The council is currently embroiled in a court case after two people drowned at the lagoon in 2018.